I have applied for, and have several offers for, a BSc in Computer Science; however, I am not sure now whether I would like to study Maths instead. I enjoy both subjects, and wasn't sure which one to apply for when UCAS came around - and in the end, chose CS. That being said, having already applied(!) I am leaning more and more towards Maths, as I consider myself stronger at Maths and Further Maths than CS.

So put yourself in my shoes - what would you do? How easy/difficult is it to change your course once you get to uni? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

(Original post by rickyrossman)
Do a joint honours in Computer science and Maths. Virtually every university offers it.

I wouldn't recommend switching to straight Maths because CS teaches some really good skills like programming and project management which will be of interest to employers.

That was quick - I'd only just clicked off this thread when I got notified of your reply! I have considered at length a joint honours - and may well go down this route - but would I be at a disadvantage doing 50/50 in two subjects, rather than a full degree in one subject? Thanks for your advice, anyway.

(Original post by SwayzieExpress)
That was quick - I'd only just clicked off this thread when I got notified of your reply! I have considered at length a joint honours - and may well go down this route - but would I be at a disadvantage doing 50/50 in two subjects, rather than a full degree in one subject? Thanks for your advice, anyway.

I just saw it popup in the 'latest' section, clicked on it because I'm a CS student myself. At my university I'd say atleast 25% of my cohort (a class of 250+) is doing a joint honours with Maths. I can't see how it would put you at a disadvantage given that you're interested in both subjects.

(Original post by rickyrossman)
I just saw it popup in the 'latest' section, clicked on it because I'm a CS student myself. At my university I'd say atleast 25% of my cohort (a class of 250+) is doing a joint honours with Maths. I can't see how it would put you at a disadvantage given that you're interested in both subjects.

That's good to know - I just wondered if I would be at a disadvantage if/when going for a Masters/possible PhD in a few years, as I wouldn't have covered the subjects in as much depth as I would have if doing a single honours? Be good if that's not the case, though.

(Original post by SwayzieExpress)
That's good to know - I just wondered if I would be at a disadvantage if/when going for a Masters/possible PhD in a few years, as I wouldn't have covered the subjects in as much depth as I would have if doing a single honours? Be good if that's not the case, though.

I'd imagine PhD study of computer science or a related subject is going to require lots of maths knowledge. Loads of the academics at my university hold maths, joint honours maths w/cs and engineering degrees.

I have applied for, and have several offers for, a BSc in Computer Science; however, I am not sure now whether I would like to study Maths instead. I enjoy both subjects, and wasn't sure which one to apply for when UCAS came around - and in the end, chose CS. That being said, having already applied(!) I am leaning more and more towards Maths, as I consider myself stronger at Maths and Further Maths than CS.

So put yourself in my shoes - what would you do? How easy/difficult is it to change your course once you get to uni? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Strangely enough my son was in the exact situation you describe above. He started on a CS course last year and within 2 weeks knew that the course was not for him. In his own words, he had no passion for CS but loved any maths problems. Luckily he had no problem getting the uni to switch him over to a Maths degree. He had A* in both Maths and Further Maths so settled in very quickly.

I'm not saying that every uni would be as accommodating. Those that want STEP probably wouldn't be.

(Original post by nutz99)
Strangely enough my son was in the exact situation you describe above. He started on a CS course last year and within 2 weeks knew that the course was not for him. In his own words, he had no passion for CS but loved any maths problems. Luckily he had no problem getting the uni to switch him over to a Maths degree. He had A* in both Maths and Further Maths so settled in very quickly.

I'm not saying that every uni would be as accommodating. Those that want STEP probably wouldn't be.

That's good to know, thank you. The uni that I will most likely be going to (Birmingham) doesn't require STEP, AFAIK.